


Baby, It's Cold Outside

by orphan_account



Series: Any Change In Time [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-19
Updated: 2014-11-19
Packaged: 2018-02-26 05:48:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2640350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"A journalist and a crime investigator; we could be a crime fighting duo. Like Holmes and Watson, or whatever the hell.”</p><p>“Yeah, not to mention we’re the only ones on campus,” Steve goes along, side glancing Bucky. “Anything could happen.”</p><p>(AU where Steve and Bucky are the only two students to stay home for Christmas."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baby, It's Cold Outside

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文 available: [Baby, It's Cold Outside](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2650454) by [finesea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/finesea/pseuds/finesea)



> Just a little thing I wrote in like an hour. It's no masterpiece, but it's cute.

Christmas Eve. 7:00pm on Christmas Eve and Bucky is walking in the fucking cold through his college campus on the way to the worlds shittiest dorm building, all the way on the other side of the campus. 

On cold Christmas nights like this, most people would be sitting happily in front of a fire, or even a fucking space heater, eating popcorn and drinking hot cocoa while watching Frosty the Snow Man or some shit.

Not Bucky. He had decided to skip out on the Barnes' Family Christmas this year and just stay on campus. 

He'd called his mom before Christmas Break to let her know he wouldn't he going. He had almost hoped she would beg him to go or even say that should would miss him, but she did exactly what he'd expected she would. She only said "suit yourself" and hung up the phone.

He tries not to let it bother him.

He huffs and draws his thinning pea coat around himself. Sure, being alone on Christmas sort of sucks -- not that Bucky had ever really been the sentimental type -- but being the only person on campus could be cool. Everyone else had had gone home for the break so he pretty much had the entire place to himself, aside from a few staffers, probably.

He hears a car driving up behind him as he walks down the street. Confused, he steps onto the sidewalk to allow the car to pass. Maybe he’s not the only loser to stay for Christmas. Or, maybe some basic had gotten lost on their way out of town.

Bucky hopes it’s the latter because he definitely doesn’t want that awkward bonding experience of being the only two people on campus.

He looks over to the car as it pulls up next to him and slows to his pace. In the drivers seat is quite possibly the most attractive man Bucky has ever seen. With blonde hair, blue eyes, a finely chiseled jaw, and a tight fitting shirt that reveals a nicely toned chest and abs of steel, he looks like he walked directly out of one of Bucky’s fantasies.

Christ. Maybe he wouldn’t mind a Christmas bonding session with this guy.

The man rolls down his window and stops. Bucky stops as well and does his best not to stare at the guy’s oh-so-unbelievably-perfect chest.

“Where are you headed?” The man asks.

“Uh, Dorm B,” Bucky replies, feeling very hot, despite the cold weather.

“Can I give you a ride?”

You can give me a ride anytime, Bucky thinks, taking the question in the complete wrong direction. He decides to be the gentleman for once and keeps his obscene thoughts in his head. 

“Sure,” Bucky answers, “if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Of course not. I’m headed that way anyway. Hop in.” The man smiles and, holy God, it’s like the heavens parted and Christ himself descended down to Earth. 

“Thanks,” Bucky mutters quickly, before he can say anything stupid, and walks around the front of the car. 

Goddammit, he thinks. Fucking shit. I am so fucking screwed.

He opens the door, gets in the seat, and closes the door. The driver turns his shoulders towards Bucky and extends his hand. “Steve Rogers,” he says, introducing himself.

Bucky shakes his hand. “Bucky Barnes. You go to school here?” 

“Yeah,” Steve replies, driving the car forward. “But I haven’t seen you around before. What are you studying?”

“Criminology,” he answers, “What about you?”

“Print Journalism. Not as interesting as criminology, but, you know…” Steve shrugs and trails off.

That’s pretty hot, actually, Bucky wants to say. He doesn’t doubt Steve could make the make ‘Nutrition Label’ on a cereal box seem hot if he wanted to.

“Nah, it isn’t as interesting as it sounds,” Bucky tells him. “But, uh, a journalist and a crime investigator; we could be a crime fighting duo. Like Holmes and Watson, or whatever the hell.”

Steve laughs at that. Bucky feels like he might melt and dissolve into the seat.

“Yeah, not to mention we’re the only ones on campus,” Steve goes along, side glancing Bucky. “Anything could happen.”

Bucky flushes, his mind once again on the complete wrong thing.

Is he flirting with me? He wonders.

“Oh, sure,” Bucky replies, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Christmas Eve, an empty campus… Who knows.” He glances at Steve, who glances back, quickly, before looking back at the road, still smiling.

“Have any big plans for Christmas?” Bucky inquires.

“Not really. I’ll probably watch some Christmas movies or something. What about you?”

“Well,” Bucky muses, “I’ve got a bottle of rum and some eggnog in my pantry; I’m sure I’ll figure something out.”

Steve nods, distractedly, peering out of the windshield. “Look,” he says, “it’s snowing.” And sure enough, white flakes fall steadily from the sky. Bucky frowns, seeing how heavily the snow is falling, but he notices Steve is smiling slightly.

“Oh, don’t tell me you actually like the snow,” Bucky chides, even as he starts to smile in spite of himself. 

“Come on, everyone loves a white Christmas.” 

“Not everyone.” 

Steve shakes his head and chuckles. “It can be a pain in the ass, I’ll give you that. But what can I say? I’m a sucker for a nice view.” Steve looks over him and Bucky swears he’s checking him out.

In exchange, Bucky looks Steve up and down, a little less subtle, and says “So am I.”

Steve glances at him again and -- holy shit, is he blushing? Goddamn. It should be illegal to be that adorable and that attractive.

Bucky grins at his work and looks out the window. He sees the snow falling quickly from the sky and piling up on the ground. “It’s really going,” he comments. 

“Yeah,” Steve agrees. “I love the snow but I’m hoping it’ll lighten up enough that I can get home.” 

No dice. As they drive down the streets the snow only falls heavier until it’s almost impossible to see further than 10 feet outside the car in all directions.

Steve manages to pull into the empty parking lot of Dorm B.

“Well,” Bucky speaks up, reluctant to end his interaction with Steve. “Thanks for dropping me off. I would have frozen my ass off otherwise.”

“Wouldn’t that be a shame,” Steve smirks. 

Definitely flirting.

Bucky sees his opportunity. “You sure you’re good to get home? Considering the weather and all.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Steve assures him, “I should be fine. I just live a few miles off campus.”

“If you want,” Bucky says, “you could hang in my apartment until this passes -- if you don’t have anyone to get home to, that is.”

“No,” Steve answers, shaking his head, “no one to get home to. But I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you.” He looks at Bucky with sincere blue eyes which are damn near impossible to turn down. Not that he wants to.

“Nah,” he shrugs, trying to appear casual and not like his heart is about to beat out of his chest. “I’m gonna need someone to help me drink all that eggnog.”

“In that case,” Steve replies, turning off the car and giving Bucky a small smile, “I volunteer.” 

Bucky grins back, opens the car door, and steps out into the biting cold. Steve follows him into the apartment.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, I know this ending is terribly unsatisfying. But I think this AU has a lot of potential so I am planning on writing a sequel, if I ever get around to it!
> 
> Also, you can come talk to me at fierynatasha.tumblr.com :)
> 
> Stay chill


End file.
